Sustainable Packaging Coalition Launches Design for Recycled Content Guide

February 18, 2019

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, February 18th — Today, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition® has announced the release of a first-of-its-kind Design For Recycled Content Guide (recycledcontent.org) aimed at helping all companies make decisions around using recycled content in packaging.

As more brands are seeking opportunities to incorporate more recycled content in their packaging, the Guide seeks to offer specific and practical guidance on topics such as supply and demand, performance, processing, aesthetics, design, and cost of all different material types. It also dispels myths about using recycled content, but pragmatically acknowledges existing challenges in order to identify future solutions.

Packaging material types included in the guide include:
  • Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET
  • High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
  • Polypropylene (PP)
  • Polystyrene (PS)
  • Polyethylene (PE) Film
  • Paperboard
  • Corrugate
  • Glass
  • Aluminum
  • Steel

Throughout 2018, Sustainable Packaging Coalition conducted interviews with a variety of industry professionals, from material manufacturers, packaging converters, brand owners, and retailers. Their insights and commentary are included in this Guide to shed light on what they are seeing happening in this quickly evolving field within sustainable packaging.

“It’s great to see ambitious corporate packaging sustainability goals, but what’s arguably more exciting and meaningful is laying down actionable frameworks to allow and encourage those aspirations to come to life,” says Kelly Cramer, Director, Program Management at GreenBlue.  “To that end, Sustainable Packaging Coalition is hopeful that its Design for Recycled Content Guide better illuminates what that path can or should look like for companies to make more circular packaging.”

This Guide is free for both Sustainable Packaging Coalition members & non-members. The Guide will be updated as new technology comes on the market and more information becomes available. Explore the Guide online at recycledcontent.org.